The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has outlined plans to extend its transformation.
This includes adding a new Wonderlab gallery to inspire youngsters to “imagine, experiment and play like an inventor.”
It is now on the hunt for both an architect and lead designer to make it happen.
By the end of this year, the museum is hoping that half of its site will have been repaired and renewed, following an investment of more than £40m. The Grade II listed Power Hall and public realm in the upper half of the site are set to open later this year.
It’s now starting work on next steps, including the installation of a new gallery and static rail experience for the historic 1830 station – the world’s first inter-urban passenger railway and world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station.
“Ahead of the Power Hall re-opening this summer and the completion of a mammoth amount of repair work to our wonderful historic buildings, we can now look forward to future compelling galleries that will help us tell the stories of the world’s first industrial city and ideas that change the world,” explained Science and Industry Museum Director Sally MacDonald OBE.
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“It’s our mission to open the potential of the whole of this globally significant industrial heritage site – to bring all of it back into use and to celebrate it through a journey that allows visitors to explore and understand how the buildings and structures that the museum cares for connect to the collections and stories they contain. We want to create more access through the site and make the most of the museum’s outdoor spaces for everyone who lives in and visits Manchester and provide more opportunities to inspire the next generation of innovators, thinkers, creators, technicians and scientists whose ideas will continue to change the world.”
The museum wants the planned Wonderlab gallery to be “one of the most spectacular, interactive science galleries of its kind.” It’s set to pay homage to Manchester’s rich history of science and invention and the museum site which explores ideas that change the world.
It hopes to open this in late 2027, but it’s seeking seeking an architect and lead designer through an open competition to design the space. This is being done via its Tenders website.
